North American: Sugar Cookies

I thought I could count on Pillsbury this last weekend when we had a Christmas party at our house. I bought the sugar cookie package, followed the directions, and ended up with a big pile of sugar-cookie-flavored slop. So, twenty minutes before the party began, I sent Jeff to the store for a bag of flour, and I got out my mom’s old recipe. She saved the day! Plus, guest got to help with the baking as well as the decorating. They enjoyed getting their hands dirty.

These cookies are one of my favorite parts about Christmas.

2 cups sugar
1 cup margarine
2 eggs
milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP hot water
1 tsp baking soda
4-5 cups flour

1. Cream together the sugar and margarine.
2. Beat the two eggs in a liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 1 cup. Add the milk and eggs to the sugar and margarine mixture.
3. Stir in the vanilla.
4. In a small bowl, pour the hot water over the baking soda and stir. Add to the mixture.
5. Stir in the flour, bit by bit, until the dough becomes thick enough to roll out.
6. Roll out, use your cookie cutters, and bake on a greased cookie sheet for 7-8 minutes at 375 degrees.
7. Cool the cookies on a rack, then decorate like crazy.

NORTH AMERICAN: Pride of Iowa Cookies

My mom has been making these cookies for as long as I can remember. Enjoy.

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup margarine
1 cup pecan meal
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
as many chocolate chips as you like–I dump in the whole bag
3 cups quick cooking oatmeal

Mix together everything except the oatmeal. Then add the oatmeal and mix thoroughly. Roll into small balls the size of walnuts. Bake at 375 for 9-10 minutes or until light brown.

NORTH AMERICAN: Taco Salad

With an abundance of end-of-summer tomatoes and homemade ranch dressing, I decided to find a way to make a taco salad, something I haven’t eaten in a long, long time.

2 heads of romaine lettuce
4 tomatoes
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 1/2 cups frozen corn (thawed)
2 cups kidney beans
8 ounces of ranch dressing (or substitute)
1 packet of taco seasoning mix
1 tsp lime juice
1 avocado
13 1/2 ounce bag of tortilla chips

1. Chop lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and green pepper. Mix together with corn and kidney beans.
2. Mix ranch dressing with lime juice and taco seasoning mix. Add to the vegetables.
3. Smash the chips into bite-size pieces. Add the chips and the chopped avocado just before you’re ready to eat.

You can’t save the leftovers, so make only as much as you can eat.

NORTH AMERICAN: Nut Butter Banana Smoothie

1 cup milk or milk substitute

¼ cup nut butter

1 ½ cups frozen banana slices

Mix together in a blender.

NORTH AMERICAN: CRONshake

2/3 cup frozen or fresh strawberries

1 cup milk or milk substitute

1 ½ oz. tofu (roughly ¼ block)

½ banana

cinnamon

stevia powder

Blend strawberries, milk, tofu, and banana. Add cinnamon and/or stevia powder to taste.

From Beyond the 120 Year Diet

NORTH AMERICAN: Chikburgers

Also from The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1 ¼ pounds) (use vege-chicken if your prefer)
¼ cup fruit juice or tomato juice
¼ cup water
1 ½ TBSP wheat-free tamari sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or steak sauce
½ tsp poultry seasoning
¼ cup spelt or kamut flour
½ tsp salt
1-2 TBSP vegetable oil

1. Using a meat mallet or heavy skillet, pound each piece of chicken to a uniform ½” to ¾” thick. Don’t pound if you’re using vege-meat.
2. In a bowl, combine the juice, water, sauce, and ¼ tsp of the poultry seasoning. Add the chicken, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes (can marinate for as long as 24 hours). Drain on paper towels.
3. In a shallow bowl or on waxed paper, combine the flour, salt, and remaining ¼ tsp poultry seasoning. Add the chicken, turning to coat both sides of each piece.
4. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 7 minutes. Turn and cook for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through.

Variation: Substitute dried rosemary, tarragon, oregano, or basil for the poultry seasoning.

That’s what I did (a combination of all those herbs), and I loved them that way.

I also enjoy making chicken nuggets this way.

NORTH AMERICAN: Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 ¼ cups spelt flour
1 ¼ cups oat flour
1 1/8 cups rolled oats
1 tsp salt
1 1/8 tsp baking soda
1 ½ cups walnuts
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup canola oil
1 TBSP vanilla extract
2 TBSP water

1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine all the wet ingredients in a bowl. Add all of the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined (dough will still be wet). Roll the dough into balls. Place on greased cookie sheets, and flatten the balls slightly.
2. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

From Recipezaar.com.

NORTH AMERICAN: Sam’s Savory Soy Curls

Once when the electricity went out, Jeff and I took his campstove outside and sat down on the sidewalk and made these for dinner.

½ . package Soy Curls™ (4 oz.) (approx. 2 1/2 cups)
1 clove garlic
1 Tbs. oil
½ c. Onion
1 ½ Tbs. Nutritional yeast
2 Tbs. Braggs Liquid aminos (or Soy Sauce)
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Oregano

1. Cover Soy Curls™ with warm water and soak for approx. 10 min.

2. Saute onions and garlic in skillet with oil.

3. Drain Soy Curls™ and add to skillet.

4. Add seasonings and stir.

5. Lower heat and simmer for 5 min.

6. Serve.

From butlerfoods.com

NORTH AMERICAN: Tofu Pumpkin Pie

Recipe adapted from Stevia by Rita DePuydt. I first ate this with Michael and Buffy on Thanksgiving. I had to make about five different pies because I couldn’t get the amount of stevia quite right. We had pumpkin pie for weeks.

1-9 inch unbaked pie crust, graham, commercial or homemade
1 12.3 oz. box silken tofu
1/3 cup canola oil
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
2 Tbs. maple syrup (optional)
1/2 tsp. maple flavoring (optional)
3/4 tsp. powdered stevia extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine tofu and oil in blender jar or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. You can also use a whisk or mixer. Add remaining filling ingredients and blend until very smooth. Pour into pie shell and bake in preheated oven about 45 minutes, until set. Chill before serving.

NORTH AMERICAN: Sloppy Joes

This is what Inyoung and Jeff and I ate for supper on Friday night. I didn’t have any wheat germ, so I used 1/4 cup TVP soaks in 1/4 cup hot water instead. The original recipe came from recipezaar.com.

1/2 TBSP oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1/2 bell pepper, chopped fine
1 16-oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup wheat germ (you can also substitute wheat bran or ground sunflower seeds)
1 cup thick tomato sauce (you can use 6 oz. canned tomato sauce plus 2 oz. water)
1 TBSP Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried basil

1. Saute the onion and bell pepper in oil for three to four minutes.
2. Add the beans, wheat germ, tomato sauce, Liquid Aminos, and spices. Bring to a simmer.
3. Mash the ingredients lightly with a potato masher.
4. Continue to simmer, loosely covered, for five to seven minutes or until it reaches your preferred consistency.
5. Serve on buns.